1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for separating and collecting recyclable and compostable waste materials. The apparatus of the present invention is an assembly of a series of reusable containers, and the method of the invention involves the use of these containers.
2. The Prior Art
The disposal of waste in the United States and other countries is becoming a significant social and economic problem. The rate at which waste is currently being generated in the United States is increasing, while the excess capacity of landfills is decreasing. Consequently, our landfills are overburdened and even become a separate source of pollution.
To decrease the burden on our landfills, as much waste as possible needs to be reprocessed so that it can be reused for beneficial purposes. Reusing waste requires separating the waste into individual waste streams having common recycling characteristics. For example, materials such as food waste, aluminum, ferrous metals, paper products, plastics and glass may be processed and eventually reused. Reusing such waste materials reduces both the overall amount of solid waste that is permanently disposed of in landfills and the need for obtaining new raw materials. Therefore, a need exists to efficiently separate and collect waste materials so that as much waste as possible is recovered.
One significant environmental problem associated with waste disposal relates to the disposal of batteries. Most batteries include heavy metals which pose threats to the environment, including nickel, cadmium, mercury and lead. Steps are being taken to collect certain types of batteries for disposal in a safe manner which controls the release of these hazardous materials. For example, most retailers of automobile batteries have programs where they will accept their customers' used batteries and will either recycle them or dispose of them in a controlled fashion that minimizes environmental risks.
However, a growing number of common consumer devices and appliances run on disposable batteries. Presently, there is no wide-spread, easy to use system available to average household users which permit them to easily dispose of batteries separately in an environmentally responsible manner. Some metropolitan areas have designated certain collection sites for household batteries. Since each battery tends to be rather small and consumers seem to perceive the environmental impact of each battery as relatively minor, though, consumers generally do not take the extra effort to separately collect such batteries and drop them off at such designated collection sites.
Instead, the consumers usually throw batteries away with their normal, non-recyclable waste, leading to the disposal of a very substantial number of such batteries in landfills or in waste incineration facilities. Although the environmental impact of each battery may be relatively small, the vast quantities of the batteries being thrown away releases unacceptable volumes of heavy metals into the environment, and these heavy metals tend to collect in the ground water, adversely affecting the quality of the water.
Various devices have been developed to separate and collect waste according to the conventional system. One device, U.S. Pat. No. 5,275,522 (Garrett, Jr. et al.), is a waste separation and collection system having a multi-compartment inside container for the initial separation, an outside container that interfaces with the inside container so that the separated contents of the inner container can be dumped into the outside container, and a mobile collection unit that transfers the separated waste from the outside container into a plurality of bins. The mobile unit preserves the separation of the waste, and it transports the waste to a distribution facility. This device does not provide collapsible containers which may be sealed to prevent odors and hazardous vapors from escaping into the surrounding environment. Also, this device does not provide a means for long-term storage of the waste in discreet containers after it has been separated.
Conventional separation and collection systems are inconvenient and expensive for individuals to use. In conventional systems, consumers often purchase thin walled plastic trash bags which are easily punctured or torn open, causing the waste to leak into the garbage container. These trash bags are not only susceptible to tearing, but they are also not reusable. Conventional systems also generally use a system of bins in an individual's house or business. These bins must be washed by the individual users on a regular basis because there is often a significant amount of leakage from waste deposited directly in the bins or contained in tom plastic trash bags. Additionally, conventional curbside bins are difficult to collect after large snowstorms, and as a result, garbage is often left on curbs for several additional days after such storms.
Another problem of conventional separation and collection systems is that they are prohibitively expensive. In conventional systems, the separation of each type of waste is continually maintained by depositing the waste in separate compartments in a collection vehicle. Such continuous separation is time consuming and requires extensive labor because the waste from each user must be separated as it is collected. Continuous separation also requires an extensive capital investment because customized collection vehicles having compartments for holding the separated waste are used. As such, conventional systems are prohibitively expensive.
Yet another problem of conventional systems is that they generally do not adequately address the disposal of compostable waste materials. Such waste materials generally include food wastes from grocery stores, restaurants, or households and yard waste. It will be appreciated that compostable waste materials rot and become putrefied in a relatively short period of time. As such, these rotting waste materials are not only extremely odoriferous, but they also exude annoying and hazardous liquids. It is not uncommon for the dumpsters used by restaurants and grocery stores to be public health hazards and public nuisances. Therefore, a need exists to provide an apparatus and method for separating and collecting waste materials that is convenient to use, cost effective and adequately addresses the disposal of compostable materials.
Finally, it does not appear that any existing system has proposed a realistic, economically feasible way to handle used batteries generated at the household level. Most conventional recycling systems do not take into account the relatively small volume of such batteries generated in each household on a week-to-week basis. Municipal collection sites, where they are available, generally require consumers to either make a separate trip to a collection site every time they have a battery to throw away or collect batteries for an extended period of time and then drop off those batteries at a collection site. This appears to have proven too much trouble for most consumers and such municipal collection sites have met with limited success.